PeteY

Just wondered if anyone out there in Bris ever tries for either mud or sand crabs?

Loved going for crays when i was in SA (with a license holder i might add ), so might try for a few muddies in QLD. I know its a bit far south, but i have read it is possible....

Cheers

Pete.

MrsDagboy

Pete, my dad used to get crabs (mainly muddies) by the bucketloads when I was younger, my brother still puts a few pots in occasionally as well. As soon as we get something small enough we're planning on putting a few down as well. A bit hard at the moment to pull up pots off our boat!

Nephews up in Bundaberg crab most of the year, theres always a feed of muddies when we go up there as well .

PeteY

Question is......is Dagboy (or your goodself) brave enough to tie them up if you catch one

They err...look a bit vicious!

Anyway. Thanks for the reply

Badge

I watched my mate tie them up, he tipped them on to the floor - put his foot over the body from behind, where they can't grab or bite, to hold them down, and got two loops of twine quickly around their arms to pin them together against their backs...all in seconds..

he's an expert...

Badge

PeteY

Yea the pros do it really quick.

I've rubber banded lobster (proper ones with claws) over here before, so i reckon i'll be ok. Muddies are a bit quicker than a lobster though so i'll have to keep an eye on me toes

WBB

i caught loads of muddies when i was up in cape york and they do taste really good, just one thing i was told though wass to only take the males and release the females, i think there is a law about this but i could be wrong, you can tell which is which by looking underneath at the base there is either a square pouch or a triangle pouch, i think the triangle was for a girl crab but it's been a while so i cannot remember.

catching crabs can be fun

PeteY

Its the other way round mate

Boys have pointy bits, girls have fat rounded bits.

Similar to a few other species


You're right about the rules though. Males only, anyone in posession of a lady crabs will be fined (or worse). Min size is 15cm across the carapace (or at least it used to be).

WBB

i remember this one crab i caught and put in the freezer to humanely "kill" it, it was in there for about an hour as i prepared the rest of the meal so i had a big pot of water coming to the boil and got the crab from the freezer went to put him in the pot but he was a little bit too big, so there i was trying to squeeze him in to this pot and the steam was coming up the whole time, next thing i know he is off and running across the worktop, ready to fight for his life, claws up and everything.

i did'nt have the heart to eat him after this and i took him back to where i had caught him and let him go, i often wonder if he would of survived????

steandleigh

CHEEKY!!!!!

tiredwithtwins

LOL!! Id keep an eye on more than my toes if I was you!! Dont crouch down to peer at the thing, it might grab anything ''loose''


:scared: :scared: :scared:

Larissa

Ahhhh remind me of the lobster chef on the muppets (or did I just think that one up meself?). I don't know how you guys can kill the things!!
Lari

MrsDagboy

I can easily kill anything that tastes that good

tiredwithtwins

careful, mr dagboy......that ice pick under the mattress ISNT for walloping crabs with!!!

Ceri

Bris is full of mud crabs in the summer months (it's mud crab season now). There is no secret spot, you can catch them almost anywhere .. including the Brisbane river (that's if you want to eat anything that comes out of there, personally I don't ).

Picking them up.. easy. You grab them by the back of the shell, they can't throw a claw backwards. Taking them home... chuck them in an esky of water (to keep them alive) , and like billy has said put them into the freezer to send them asleep (that is the humane way to do it) .. then boil them.


You do not need a boat to catch them.. a lot of people just chuck a pot out from the bank/shore, it's a very popular passtime.And the nature of these crabs.. they are more likely to be close to the banks, mangroves. You can't put a pot down in a boating channel anyway.. so the pots usually go closer to the bank.

Best places for them are little feeder creeks .. Brisbane river , try boggy creek. Pine river, Coochin river further north (the creek is up near Bribie) .. basically any creek, river or even the passage itself. Manly you can catch them at the side of the Yacht club.

There's a saying here.. any month with a "R" in it.. that is mud crab season.

Sand crabs..are plentiful too , basically they are anywhere there is a a sandy bottom, and weed. Moreton Bay, and the front of Manly is full of them. If you dead bait fish in the summer months you always get plagued by them nicking your bait.. same goes for mud crabs.. pain the ar*se. One of the many reasons I stick to live bait when fishing.. so I won't be plagued by crabs.

Traps can be purchased in any tackle shop .. and range from $20 upwards.

Anyway, Brisbane is full of muddies in the summer , they are not hard to catch, you need no boat .. and there is no secret to catching them.. picking them up is pretty simple if you grab them by the back .. I can vouch for this.

Crab pots/traps can be hauled back up from any size boat, you can even catch them in manly harbour while docked .. I suggest if you want the correct answers, or advice is to go to a fishing site and ask the numerous local fisho's here .. they'll back up what I've just said if you have any doubts about my sincerity of my advice above..
simple really...crabs are pretty easy to catch around here in the summer.


cheers

PeteY

Excellent reply, many thanks Ceri.